Chit Chat: Making Time For Blogging

Last Friday I talked briefly about how busy this summer has been. While the busy days have been great and Jessica and I have been really enjoying our fun summer it has meant that we haven't been spending as much time blogging. It seems like we have barely been home this summer and when we are home many of our days have been spent entertaining friends or engaged in other hobbies we have picked up this summer.

We hadn't planned for our blog content to be so intermittent this summer but with our plates full something had to give. While normally I would have freaked out (I am kind of a Type A) by our lack of posts and by our lack of a regular blogging schedule, during the last couple months I decided that it was best to allow ourselves to have a break. Forcing ourselves to stress out or to try to create posts when time is limited didn't seem like the right thing to do.

Anyone who has ever blogged no matter how small their blog is knows that blogging and creating content takes a lot of time. While our blog is small it is our tiny little corner of the internet and we couldn't love it more. This summer we didn't want to force ourselves to create content just to have something to post. When time doesn't allow we have decided it is better to not post instead of sharing something we are not proud of or sharing something with you that we don't truly love or believe important.

With all of this being said now that Jessica is starting school again and my work schedule is getting back to normal we hope that we get back into our regular routine of posts.

How has summer been treating you? Have you been busy also?

image via: Classy Girls Wear Pearls

Chit Chat: Playing Catch Up

Tracy and I have been having a blast since Friday with company. Our cousin came up for the weekend. He is the one that owns over 200 board games and any time he is up he brings a carload of them so that we can have board gaming marathons. So we have spent the last 3 days playing board games, having delicious food, and having Big Bang Theory marathons. Being busy having all this fun has put us behind schedule though. We haven't gotten any blogging done or ran any errands.

Every time our cousin comes, he brings a lot of games that we have never played before along with a few of our favorites. One of our favorites that he always brings is Mice and Mystics. It is a board game that also involves a story. You play a chapter at a time, so it can take weeks to actually finish the game and that's not including the expansions for it. The story is so interesting though! New games that we tried and loved this time in Smash Up and the game Agents of Smersh. Check them out on Amazon. Do you know any great games?

We also had book club on Saturday. We met at our friend Deidra's house to discuss The Rosie Project. It was a pretty good book. Not a book I would have chosen for myself and that is a good thing about book club. The other members constantly choose books that I wouldn't have chosen for myself, so I am finding things that I have loved but would have never found on my own. Hopefully, I have chosen books that have helped my friends in the same way. Next month we meet to discuss Pines by Blake Crouch. It looks like an interesting book, so I hope it turns out that way!


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10 Free Things to do Alone to Beat Boredom

Every find yourself stuck at home alone and bored to death? It has happened to me several times this Winter with the weather getting so horrible and leaving me stuck, alone at home. I'm going to share with you some free and fun things to do to beat that boredom! These are things you can do at home, alone, with things you already have laying around.

TIP 1 // Beauty Time: Treat yourself by painting your nails. Give yourself that mani/pedi you have been putting off because you didn't have the time. I don't know about you but I have a ton of nail polish that I need to be using.

TIP 2 // Destress Yourself: Have you been feeling stressed lately? Then use this time to put on some soft music and run a bubble bath. Relax in the warm tub while listening to the music or reading a book. I know I don't usually take the time for a bath and instead opt for a quick shower. You could even take time to meditate. Tracy has used several free meditation apps on her iPhone.

TIP 3 // Exercise: This is another thing I put off when I am busy, but if I'm already stuck at home and bored, why not get in some exercise time. There are plenty of free apps to use, pop in a work out video, or try something new.

TIP 4 // Clear Up that DVR: I am always having to record my favorite tv shows because I am out or too busy to really watch them. This is the perfect time to round up some snacks from the kitchen and veg out in front of the tv.

TIP 5 // Send Some Snail Mail: I love receiving snail mail, so I always make time to send some to my friends so that I will get some back. Pull out your paper and envelops and write some quick notes to friends. Throw some glitter or confetti in to bring up a friends day and decorate with some washi tape.

TIP 6 // Catch Up on your Reading: Finish that book you have been working on. Enjoy the newspaper or some fashion magazines. Read some of your favorite blogs. Dig into you must read pile and pull out a great book.

TIP 7 // Be Creative: If you are like me, you have a box of supplies that you have purchased for various DIY projects that you haven't found the time to complete yet. Hunt that box out and pull up the instructions and get busy.

TIP 8 // Get Busy in the Kitchen: Find a recipe to try by looking through your cook books or your Pinterest boards. I have multiple boards on Pinterest dedicated to recipes I want to try: Brunch, Dinner, Sweet Treats, and Appetizers. Look at what you have on hand and make yourself a treat. Experiment with some new recipe.

TIP 9 // Learn Something New: I believe we all need to keep learning new things. Pick a topic you are interested in and read some online articles. I love learning new things about animals online. Other topics I enjoy researching are ghosts, mythology, ancient Egypt, and places that I would love to travel too.

TIP 10 // Be a Kid: Act like a kid again. Color in a coloring book. Play some video games. Read some of your favorite childhood stories. As a kid my favorite story was Tawny Scrawny Lion and I still pull that book out to reread it.


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Chit Chat: Fall Break

I have just had a relaxing four day weekend from work. We had a short Fall break from school on Thursday and Friday. I mainly spent my time off at home relaxing and doing things that I enjoy. It was a stress-free time with little thoughts of work, grading papers, or preparing assignments. I took the time off to recharge my batteries so that I can go back to work today and get things accomplished. Sometimes, I worry and stress over work related things so much that I keep working at them even when I need a break.

So, how did I enjoy my time off? Thursday, my brother and I went into town and did a little shopping. Then I took some time to surf the web and do a little retail therapy online. Friday I made bear claws, read some of Pride and Prejudice, and then my siblings and I had pizza and movie night. Saturday, we made pumpkin whoopie pies and had a delicious Italian dinner. We also made a few Halloween crafts, those will be coming to the blog soon. Sunday we spent more time decorating for Halloween and completing a few tasks for the upcoming week.

Now, I feel rested and recharged. I am ready to go back to work and to accomplish the tasks on my to do list. I am ready to eat lunch with my "lunch bunch" and catch up with them to see what they did over break. What would you do with a few days off from work?


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Chat Chit: How Do You Spend Your Weekends?

This weekend was a blast. Every single moment was filled with activity but not with the mundane types of things you are required to do. Easily 95% of my weekends are spent trying to get a jump on next week's work, doing chores and running errands I have no time for during the week, and if I am lucky squeezing in a little time for blogging. Not this weekend. Maybe come Tuesday or Wednesday when I start feeling behind I begin to regret it but right now I feel like I had a weekend well spent.

Over the weekend I spent time my favorite cousin, went to a lunch that involved Texas Cheese Fries with friends, took part in a game night that lasted way into the early morning hours, indulged in a Sunday pancake brunch, visited my grandmother, prepared food to get me through lunch and dinner for the next few days, tried on my newly arrived Halloween costume several times, and spent some quality time cuddling with my adorable cat. I cannot remember the last time I spent some much time laughing or the last time I laughed so hard. Absolutely nothing productive occurred and I for one time did not care.

It would be wonderful if every weekend could be spent having fun and concentrating on living every single moment. I do try to block off 3 or 4 hours every weekend do something I enjoy. However, life is so busy (as it is for everyone) that I haven't learned to how to let go of all my responsibilities and to do lists for entire weekends on a regular basis.

How do you spend your weekends? Are you typically able to unplug and forget about work? Do you have tons of errands and chores that spill over onto the weekend? Or are you able to unwind and concentrate on having fun?

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Chit Chat: Free Time

In most instances I think I am a very generous person but one thing I am truly selfish with is my free time. I have always been one of those people who has a lot on their plate and someone who is constantly juggling to keep up with everything going on in life. This has likely been what has lead me to feeling the constant urge to be productive. Free time is hard for me to come by and when I do have an opportunity for a little free time I have to make a conscious effort to not focus on marking tasks off my to-do list and to ignore the feeling that because I am taking the time to do something fun or to relax that I am getting behind.

It took me a long time to accept that I have to be selfish with my free time. Time is precious and very limited. Once I stepped back and realized that all of my time was getting eat up with by other people, work, commuting, errands, and obligations and I acknowledged that we have so little time that we actually get to spend doing exactly what we want I accepted that being selfish with my free time was not only totally acceptable it was the most beneficial thing for my well-being.

It is important that we spend those few hours that are truly our own doing what we want, not what we think we are supposed to be doing or what others think we are supposed to. Now I only ever give up free time very begrudgingly. Focusing on things I enjoy helps me feel like I am a much more balanced person. Sometimes I choose to spend my feel time by getting tickets to a play or the ballet, or by meeting friends for shopping and dinner, or sometimes (maybe more often than not) I choose to spend it alone at home watching a favorite movie, baking a new recipe, or reading a good book (I discussed alone time here). Free time should be a time to recharge and that is exactly how I intend to always choose to spend mine.

How do you spend your free time? Do you have any good tips on how to maximize the amount of free time you receive?

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So Much to Bake, So Little Time

Recently our lives have been pretty hectic. Tracy and I have both been on the go and we've had a lot of extra tasks that we have had to complete. Work for both of us has also been stressful lately. For the past few weeks we really haven't had any time to just do the things we enjoy. Baking is one of those things we haven't really had much time for lately. It is something we both enjoy doing and then it is always fun to share the goodies afterwards. I haven't been able to try anything new and I haven't had any time to make any of my favorites. So I don't have any new recipes to share, but I would like to redirect you to several of my favorites from the delicious treats we have made in the past.

1. Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cake
This rich, moist cake is truly delicious. It has been my favorite cake that we have ever made. The peanut butter cake and the whipped topping frosting with the peanut butter ganache is going to be devoured by your friends and family by the next day.

2. Caramel Pecan Cheesecake
The Cheesecake Factory has nothing on this cheesecake. It is rich and decadent. Plan ahead and give yourself time to make this before a get-together and you will wow anyone!

3. Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Until this cake I always thought, "Carrot Cake? Ewwww gross!" Boy, was I wrong. This is a moist and tasty cake and the frosting has just enough sweetness to not be too cream cheesy.

4. Pecan Pie Bars
I have made these for two family and friend gatherings. They are always one of the first items to disappear and I have received numerous compliments both times. They are simple and easy to make, but everyone thinks I put a lot more effort into than I did.

5. Lemon Cookies
This are quick, easy, and delicious! Sometimes you don't want chocolate or vanilla. You want a something a little different with a lightness. These lemon cookies are perfect.

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Chit Chat

Do you find that you sometimes absolutely crave some alone time? I find myself wishing for some from time to time. Around here it is very difficult for me to have some alone time. Right now I really have been so busy that I have barely been at home until almost bedtime. Between work, tutoring after school, my night class, and errands that I have to run I am just busy, busy, busy. Then when I find myself at home there are always others around so no alone time.
On those rare occasions when I do happen to find myself at home alone for the day, I take full advantage of it. I am lazy and indulgent. I allow myself to get by with a few things that I normally would not do, especially around others. I can spend the whole day in my pajamas without anyone knowing. They are just so comfy! Who doesn't spend the day in pajamas occasionally? Then there is also the fact that if I have no plans of going anywhere and no fear of someone dropping by, I just may go all day without brushing my hair. When someone does pop up at the door unexpectedly I have to run for my brush before I can answer. The worst thing? I can spend the majority of the day in bed watching cartoons and reruns of shows like Project Runway while munching on a bag of Doritos, which will most likely end up empty by the end of the day. How do you spend those rare days alone when you manage to get one?

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Taking A Day Off

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I always feel as if I am constantly busy and have a hectic schedule. It is always late when I get home from the office, I often bring work home with me, and when I am not working my time is largely filled with chores and errands I don't usually have time for. So whenever I do have free time I am usually too tired to enjoy it or feel like going out.

This weekend I am taking the day off. I am going to wake up early and go out for pastries and a latte. Following that I am due a trip to a spa for a pedicure and facial. I am going shopping and keeping my open for some new blouses now that the weather is cooler. In the evening I plan to go to a nice restaurant for dinner before seeing Taylor Swift in concert.

Everyone needs the occasional day off.

♥ Sunny